Iran says efforts underway for resumption of ties with Cairo

Speaking to reporters in a press conference before leaving Damascus on Sunday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, "We have not had direct talks with the Egyptian side. However, some efforts are underway to restore relations between Tehran and Cairo.

"Egypt is an important country in the Islamic world and the development of natural relations between Tehran and Cairo is in the interest of both nations," the top Iranian diplomat added.

Regarding his recent visit to Syria and his consultation with President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the Foreign Minister said, "During this visit, we followed up on the agreements made during Mr. Bashar al-Assad's recent visit to Tehran. Good progress has been made in implementing these agreements and we were supposed to continue the follow-up."

Stating that the joint economic commission of the two countries is scheduled to be held in at the earliest opportunity, he added, "We consulted with Mr. Bashar al-Assad for more than two hours."

Referring to the crisis between Syria and Turkey and the possibility of Ankara conducting special military operations in parts of Syria, he added, "We in Tehran are trying to resolve this crisis and the problem politically. We reject resorting to war."

Amir-ABdollahian added that "During the meeting, Mr. Mamluk, Syria's national security adviser, we discussed some security issues, including the Zionist regime's aggressive military attacks on Syria."

He added that the Zionists are going too far in Syria, and naturally Damascus and the region cannot stand this situation anymore.